


family

by ceteiq



Series: "and a place to rest my head" [10]
Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Families of Choice, Family Bonding, Gen, Mentioned Eskel (The Witcher), Mentioned Lambert (The Witcher), Mentioned Vesemir (The Witcher)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:35:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24274411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ceteiq/pseuds/ceteiq
Summary: A ficlet based on my fic "and a place to rest my head," for the prompt:A deleted scene from the main fic, between Geralt and Rian(In which Geralt tells Rian about his witcher family— Vesemir, Eskel, and Lambert.)
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Series: "and a place to rest my head" [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1719994
Comments: 65
Kudos: 495





	family

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ragequilt](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ragequilt/gifts).



> a while ago i asked for prompts on tumblr related to my fic "[ **and a place to rest my head**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23097559/chapters/55259602)" and this is for the prompt: "A deleted scene from the main fic, between Geralt and Rian." thank you to ragequilt for requesting it!!!
> 
> also, thank you so so much to [starlitfics](https://archiveofourown.org/users/starlitfics/pseuds/starlitfics) for beta-reading this and for offering me invaluable info about all the wolves; i really couldn't have done this without them!
> 
> warnings: mention of past child abuse

It's a warm day in mid-September, and Geralt is sitting at the dining table of their cottage, watching Rian draw.

Jaskier is out on the porch with Raph. They're talking together, not loudly enough for Geralt to hear through the walls of the cottage, but sometimes he does hear them laugh. They've become good friends over the past few weeks, which pleases Geralt. Jaskier deserves friends, especially an omega friend.

Besides, it gives Geralt time to spend alone with Rian, which he always values dearly.

"Look," says Rian, pushing his parchment toward Geralt. "It's Mikil and Hanna's dog." And sure enough, there on the page is a large black animal, bearing some vague resemblance to their neighbors' shaggy black dog.

"It's very good," Geralt tells him. "You should give it to them. I'm sure they'd appreciate it."

Rian nods happily. "Yes," he agrees. Then he rips another sheet of parchment out of Jaskier's composition book.

"What will you draw now?" Geralt asks.

But Rian hands the paper to Geralt. "Now it's your turn," he says.

Geralt frowns. "I'm not much of an artist."

"It's okay!" says Rian. "You can still draw something." He pushes the quill into Geralt's hand and sits there, gazing up expectantly.

Geralt's frown deepens. "But what should I draw?"

"Anything," Rian says. "Like maybe a monster. Or a goat. Or a bird."

Geralt is about to draw a bird and be done with it, but then Rian adds, "Or I always draw our family. That's fun." 

And suddenly Geralt has an idea.

"You draw our family so well," he says, "I don't think I could come close. But I'm going to draw my _other_ family."

Rian's brow furrows. "You have another family?"

"Not— not a mate or pups," Geralt hastens to clarify. "But the family I grew up with. My witcher brothers and father."

Rian's mouth falls open in surprise, but he looks delighted. "Yes!" he says. "Draw them! Where are they?"

"My father is at Kaer Morhen," says Geralt, beginning to draw Vesemir. "Remember I've told you about Kaer Morhen?"

"That's where bad things happened to you."

"Hmm. Yes. But it's not a bad place anymore. I spend winters there."

"This winter?"

"No. I wouldn't leave you and Papa and the baby. But maybe next winter. I could— I could perhaps bring the three of you to visit," he says, finally voicing something he's been thinking about for a while. "We'll have to ask Papa, but—"

"I want to go!" says Rian eagerly.

"We'll ask Papa," Geralt repeats, "but I think he'll say yes." And he continues to draw. It doesn't look much like Vesemir, truth be told, but Rian seems enthralled.

"What's his name?" he asks.

"Vesemir," says Geralt.

"And he's your daddy?"

Geralt smiles. "Yes," he says. "Not— not by blood. I never knew my birth father. But he raised me, treated me like a son."

"Like you treat me," says Rian. "You're not my real daddy but you're still my daddy and I love you."

"Just like that," Geralt says, drawing Vesemir's hair. "He has grayish white hair like me," he tells Rian. "And he's the oldest witcher I know. He's a good man." He adds Vesemir's wolf medallion to his drawing.

"Is that like _your_ necklace?" asks Rian.

"Yes," Geralt says. "All the wolves have one."

"Wolves?"

"The witchers of Kaer Morhen," Geralt explains. "We're called wolves."

"Oh. And that's why your necklace has a wolf?" Rian asks. "And I'm your little wolf?"

"Yes, that's exactly right," says Geralt, smiling, and with that, he finishes his rather unsatisfactory portrait of Vesemir, and moves on to Eskel.

"Who's that?"

"This is Eskel," says Geralt. "He's a very talented witcher. I learned alongside him. He's like my brother, just like you'll be the baby's brother."

"Is he nice?"

"Yes," says Geralt. "He's the kindest witcher I know. And he loves animals. He even has his own goat, named Lil' Bleater."

"Goat!" exclaims Rian. "I love goats!"

"Yes, I think you'd get along well with Eskel."

"What's those lines on his face?"

"They're scars," says Geralt.

"You have scars."

"I do," Geralt affirms, remembering the morning a few months ago, after his injury, when Rian had seen his bare chest and traced his scars with a small finger.

Rian frowns. "His face looks scary with the lines on it."

"Maybe. But he's not scary. Scars just mean he's brave, and fought with monsters."

"I thought _you_ were scary, when I first met you," whispers Rian. "But then you're not scary anymore."

Geralt pauses briefly from drawing to pat Rian's shoulder. "That's right," he says. Rian smiles at him shyly, and Geralt smiles back.

Then he puts the finishing touches on Eskel. "And now for Lambert," he announces. He pauses. "Hmm. Lambert."

He draws Lambert's face. "Lambert is... a bit rough around the edges."

"What's that mean?"

"He's not always— hmm. Not always very nice. He often talks with his fists instead of his words."

"Is he a Bad Man?" Rian breathes.

"No!" says Geralt quickly. "No, he's a good man."

"But he hits people?"

"He would never hit you, or Papa," Geralt assures him. He thinks of what Lambert told him once, about his own father routinely beating him bloody. "He's not a mean person. Just... difficult. But he's still my brother."

"He's got a scar too?" observes Rian.

"Yes, over his eye."

"But he's not so scary like he looks," Rian states, a hint of a question in his voice.

"No, he's not."

"Are your brothers and daddy alphas?"

"They are," says Geralt. "But not like the alphas who used to hurt Papa. None of them are Bad Men, I swear."

"They're all good men like you?"

"Yes," Geralt says.

"Good," says Rian. He pauses, then adds, "I really wanna meet them, Daddy."

"You will someday."

"When?"

"When the baby is old enough and Papa is ready," says Geralt slowly. "I don't know how long it will take for him to be comfortable with the idea of wintering with three alphas."

"'Cause alphas scare Papa?"

"Right."

"But just tell him they're not scary."

Geralt smiles. "I'm afraid it's not that simple, little wolf."

Rian pouts momentarily. Then he shrugs. "Okay," he says. "But someday? You promise?"

"I promise," says Geralt. "I promise you'll get to meet your uncles and grandfather. And they'll love you and Papa and the baby so much."

Rian grins. "Yes," he says, nodding with satisfaction. "Vesemir and Eskel and Lambert. Now _I_ wanna draw them," he pronounces.

And he rips out another piece of parchment and does just that.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading! comment if you enjoyed! and i hope you liked my drawings lol. no idea what geralt's actual art style would be like but i feel like he'd try really hard and create something of middling quality.
> 
> also, just as a note to anyone wondering: while we won't meet the other witchers of kaer morhen in the main fic, i plan to write a sequel set a year or two after the baby's birth, where geralt takes his new family to meet his old family! so you can look forward to that! <3
> 
> (subscribe to this [**series**](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1719994) so you don't miss more ficlets when i post them!)


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